Sig Christenson is a veteran military reporter who has made nine trips to the war zone. He writes regularly for Hearst about service members, veterans and heroes, among other topics. He is also the co-founder and former president of Military Reporters and Editors, founded in 2002.

08/18/2014

CAMP SWIFT — Greeted with “hooahs” from National Guard soldiers he's about to deploy to the border, Gov. Rick Perry told the troops Wednesday they would face “narco-terrorists” who are threatening Americans in Texas and other states.

“You now are the tip of the spear in protecting Americans from these cartels and gangs,” Perry said in a visit to Camp Swift near Bastrop, where the Guard is training. “As they are able to get past you, they could be headed to any city, any neighborhood in this country, and they're spreading their tentacles of crime and fear.”

Perry last month ordered 1,000 troops to the Rio Grande, where they will assist Department of Public Safety troopers in a surge of forces ordered by the governor to help deal with an increase in Central American immigrants crossing the border.

08/17/2014

SAN ANTONIO — More than a year has passed since Tech. Sgt. Jaime Rodriguez got one of the longest prison sentences in the history of the Air Force's training command. Now, his case is being used as a training tool for recruits at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.

At the start of a class at the recruiting school, Tech Sgt. Christopher Hilfer, an instructor, put photos of Rodriguez and Airman 1st Class Elizabeth Jacobson, a 21-year-old killed in Iraq, on a screen.

“To me she's a true hero, somebody I think everybody should look up to,” he said. “Does anybody know who the person on the left is?”

“Sgt. Rodriguez?” a student asked.

“You might even have heard about him a little bit,” Hilfer said before detailing the outcome of Rodriguez's trial, where he was sentenced to 27 years in prison for sexual abuse of recruits. “How would you feel if this person had been recruited by this person? It's not acceptable.”

08/13/2014

BASTROP — Gov. Rick Perry met with Texas Army National Guard soldiers here Wednesday as they prepared to deploy to the Rio Grande Valley for a border-security mission, telling them they will stand between “narco-terrorists” and law-abiding Americans.

The troops at Camp Swift, a Texas Guard training facility outside of Bastrop, trained on optical devices they will use while on the border as dozens of news organizations descended on the facility for a media day.

“You are now the tip of the spear in protecting Americans from these cartels and gangs,” said Perry. “As they are able to get past you, they could be headed to any city, any neighborhood in this country and they're spreading their tentacles of crime and fear.”

08/09/2014

SAN ANTONIO — The civilian lawyer for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl says his profession isn't about the big cases, and the most important ones often involve obscure attorneys and fly below the public's radar.

But Eugene Fidell is one of the nation's best-known military lawyers. A Harvard Law School graduate who teaches at Yale, he's an expert on U.S. military justice and is touted by other attorneys as someone without peer in specialized military law.

Bergdahl was released in May after five years of captivity in a controversial swap for five Taliban prisoners. He was quickly vilified by many after his release in Afghanistan and eventual transfer to Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, where he remains while his case is investigated.

08/06/2014

Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl met Wednesday with an Army officer who is investigating allegations of misconduct while he was in Afghanistan, a session one defense lawyer called a "productive exercise."

Bergdahl talked with Maj. Gen. Kenneth Dahl for most of the day at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston with a military defense attorney, Capt. Alfredo Foster, and a civilian lawyer, Yale Law School lecturer Eugene Fidell, at his side.

Fidell declined to say what questions were asked, but said Bergdahl talked after being read his rights.

SAN ANTONIO — Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl met Wednesday with an investigator who is probing allegations of misconduct while the soldier was in Afghanistan.

Flanked by a military defense attorney, Capt. Alfredo Foster, and Yale Law School visiting lecturer Eugene Fidell, who is his civilian lawyer, Bergdahl sat in an office at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston.

Fidell said his client was read his rights as part of an interview with Maj. Gen. Kenneth Dahl. An audio recording was made during the question-and-answer session at the Army Criminal Investigation Command's office on the post.

“We've met all morning, we're on a lunch break and then we're going to resume the interview,” Fidell said, declining to say what questions Dahl asked. “But I can tell you he's been entirely cooperative with the process and has answered all questions.”

07/27/2014

Condolences to Ken Murray's lovely wife, Teresa, currently serving in Afghanistan, and their family, friends and community in this great loss. A blog post I wrote seven years ago about Ken and Teresa, when they served together:

Back in the United States, I’ve seen scores of command-change ceremonies. Bands play, if you’re high enough in rank, flags are passed, salutes are given and the crowd applauds.

No offense to you generals out there, but in our business we call this story a “snoozer.”

Yet here in Baghdad a command-change ceremony occurred that’s worth noting. A husband gave over command of a 1st Cavalry Division medical unit to his wife, who he married last year at the Bexar County Courthouse.

The command change in the Green Zone took place on April Fool’s Day.

“When we passed the guidon, I saw the excitement in my wife’s eyes, and felt the certainty that I was leaving my unit in the best capable hands,” said Capt. Kenneth Murray, 33, of Kempner, outside Fort Hood. “I felt a great deal of pride watching Teresa as my wife, rather than a peer, start on this most significant chapter in her professional career.”

Teresa Murray, 26, now leads the 15th Brigade Support Medical Company, 2nd Brigade Combat Team. It provides care for troops in the “Black Jack” Brigade headquartered in a now-tattered palace built for Saddam Hussein’s wife.

As Teresa took over, Hubby moved to the maneuver brigade’s staff, working with its surgeon, Maj. Bruce “Doc” Rivers, in planning medical operations and helping set up Iraqi facilities. That’s a critical part of the Baghdad Security Plan, which aims to win hearts and minds by providing badly needed services to a war-weary citizenry.

Their many Alamo City ties would surprise you. Both attended the Officer Basic Course and a portion of the Captains’ Career Course at Fort Sam Houston. Kenneth Murray was a medic and spent years on the post, and the couple has roots in Brooke Army Medical Center.

Of course, in a love-and-war story like this, the local connections go straight to the heart.

“Teresa and I were married at the Bexar County Courthouse in San Antonio on June 20, 2006. In attendance was Col. Carlos Angueira, the deputy commander for clinical services at BAMC, a great friend and supporter of our family. And our witnesses were Ms. Carolyn Putnam, the general’s secretary at BAMC, and Mrs. Jeannie Noble, the general’s secretary at the AMEDD Center and School.”

Kenneth and Teresa and met as aides-de-camp for Maj. Gen. George Weightman and Brig. Gen. C. William Fox Jr., respectively, and have been together ever since. Fox was the hospital’s commander at one time, while Weightman led the Army Medical Department Center and School.

The happy couple had a lot in common even before they met. They’re career soldiers and Medical Service Corps officers. Their line of work is medical planning, operations, intelligence, training and administration, and they’ve worked closely together since serving as aides. Their jobs here dovetail nicely, as does their history. It seems they had the same circle of friends while at Fort Bragg, N.C., but somehow never met.

Next year, their friends will gather on the River Walk to watch them tie the knot again in a formal wedding. They’ll eventually settle in San Antonio when it comes time for him to retire around 2011, build a retirement home and start a new life as a civilian.

Truthfully, those are vague plans. Kenneth and Teresa aren’t even sure if the Pentagon will extend their year-long tours, something I have been told is more likely than not.

They aren’t unhappy about that or serving in Iraq, where Murray is on his second tour. The Army paid for his undergraduate and graduate degrees, delivers a steady paycheck and will provide a pension. It’s long been his center of gravity, not to mention his love connection. Where else, after all, could a husband swap commands with his wife?

“Either of us could as easily do something else. I have a master’s degree in health care administration, and T is very close to completing her master’s degree in emergency and disaster management,” he said.

“Speaking for me, being among soldiers, saving the lives of people in a war-torn country, and serving gladly where some others might have resentment means better conditions for my soldiers. To quote the Bible, ‘Where much is given, much is required.’”

Link to the original post: http://blog.mysanantonio.com/military/2007/04/sig-christenson-of-love-and-war/

07/21/2014

The nation's oldest woman veteran, Lucy Coffey, has dreamed of making one last trip to visit her favorite monuments in Washington, D.C. Come Friday, she can check that one off her bucket list.

At 108, the longtime San Antonio resident will board a commercial airliner and fly to Washington, where she will see the World War II Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery and the Women's Memorial. “I want to go, I want to see it,” she said.

Still, this journey almost didn't happen. Veterans' supporters in San Antonio and Austin worked to fly the ailing Coffee, who is on oxygen and frail after suffering a stroke, to Washington without overtaxing her.

Everyone thought things were set late last week when an Austin aviation broker agreed to charter a plane, but the firm dropped its plans because of legal concerns. That didn't stop a pair of retired Marines in Austin and San Antonio from pressing on, and with help from the Texas General Land Office, they struck a deal.

Pending final medical approval, American Airlines will give Coffey and her caregiver free first-class, round-trip tickets to Washington. A tour of the monuments is scheduled to begin Saturday and end with a visit to the White House.

07/17/2014

SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio woman who is the nation's oldest female veteran wanted one last trip to Washington, D.C., and thanks to a pair of veterans groups and an Austin firm, she's going to get her wish.

Lucy Coffey, 108, will fly out of San Antonio on a chartered plane next week and go the capital. There, she'll visit the Women's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery and other monuments, and may even see the president or vice president while in town.

“Everybody's just really excited to be able to honor her in this way. She's a pioneer. Her service has really opened doors for future generations of women,” said Bexar County veterans service officer Queta Marquez, adding that Coffey is serving her country even as a centenarian. “By virtue of her taking this trip, she's actually highlighting military service, and military service for women.”

07/16/2014

SAN ANTONIO — Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has hired a high-profile attorney and may have met Wednesday with an investigator looking into allegations of misconduct while Bergdahl was in Afghanistan.

Lawyer Eugene Fidell denounced leaks by government officials as “disturbing” and likened some of the accusations against his client to the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth campaign that damaged former Sen. John Kerry's presidential bid.

“There are people who have spoken that have vilified him in the media, sometimes using their own names and sometimes not,” Fidell, a visiting lecturer at Yale, told the San Antonio Express-News. “He's been turned into a kind of punching bag in some circles, and my job is to defend him.”